XDA-Developers was founded on the need to work with closed source software, often in an effort to fix what the manufacturer broke or intentionally disabled on their smart devices. Since then, we have evolved to place more and more emphasis on open source projects. Open sourced software is much easier for developers to work with and is a great starting place for beginning developers to learn how to code.
With that in mind, we are proud to announce that XDA-Developers is applying to become a Mentor Organization for Google Summer of Code (GSoC).
What is Google Summer of Code?
Google Summer of Code is a global program focused on introducing student developers to open source software. Students apply and work on a 3 month open source project with a mentor organization during their (summer) break from U.S.-based university schedule. Student participants (minimum of 18 years old and who have completed secondary school) are paired with a mentor from participating organizations, which allows them to gain exposure to real world software development.
What’s more, the incentive for students participating in this program is not just hands-on experience working on a project – you also get paid to contribute to open source projects!
You can learn more about Google Summer of Code over on its official page here. Additionally, you can view previous GSoC projects over here to get an idea of what kinds of projects other students have worked on in the past. Finally, you can also refer to the 2016 GSoC Archive and FLOSS Manuals.
XDA-Developers as a Mentor Organization
For the 2017 Google Summer of Code, XDA-Developers is applying to be a Mentor Organization for the very first time. We believe that open source code is the future of mobile software development. Our participation in the Google Summer of Code program is a small way of promoting the advantages of open source projects and implanting a love of open source development in the next generation of developers.
The first step in our application process is to invite project ideas from you as a community. These are ideas for projects that can be completed in about 12 weeks of coding. Anyone can submit a feasible idea, but we would really recommend taking a look at previous projects to get a good grasp on what the GSoC typically expects.
Here is the requirement set for the ideas:
- A project title/description
- More detailed description of the project (2-5 sentences)
- Expected outcomes
- Skills required/preferred
- Possible mentors at XDA (can be the idea submittor but not a student)
- If possible, an easy, medium or hard rating for the project
- Your name and/or XDA username
All ideas are to be submitted over at our GitHub page.
The next step in our process is to build a team of Mentors. If you are able and willing, you can also apply to become a Mentor for your idea. The position requires committal to being a guidance to a budding student and building one-one-one rapport, so any developers interested in fostering a love of open source projects may apply for this position.
So, does the idea of being a mentor or working with one strike your fancy? Make sure you apply in that case. Also, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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